Mortise Chisel Sharpening Angle

In this video ill be showing you my personal workflow when it comes to sharpening chisels.

Mortise chisel sharpening angle. Using a hollow chisel mortiser is one of the fastest and most accurate ways to cut a mortise. It will fit between the platform and the grinding wheel. Mortising chisels like many other bladed tools often require an initial sharpening. I grind the bevel on all these chisels at 25o.

Twirl the fine cone inside the end of the chisel by hand to raise a burr then take a few strokes i like 9 in this case on each face with a sharpening stone. But if your chisel is dull its only going to be an exercise in frustration. In hardwoods a 20o edge on a chisel just doesnt stand up in any use ive found. Notes on sharpening chisels sharpening chisels is the same as sharpening plane blades except you never use the ruler trick with chisels because chisel work.

End grain paring will require a sharper edge and its typically done with hand pressure only so a sharper angle 20 degrees or even sharper will work well. Mark it with the bevel angle for your mortise chisel. I like mortise chisels to have a convex curve on the bevel. The chips are a lot smaller and the chisel is a little easier to plunge into the work.

That way setting up for future sharpening will go more quickly. Download the angle setting jig pdf on our website for a simple set of plans to build your own stop block sharpening jig. For mortise cutting in side grain where the cut doesnt have to be super clean and you pound at the chisel with a mallet you might prefer 30 degrees or even shallower. Guide to buying a woodworking mortise chisel.

I would suggest that once you have the platform set for the correct angle that you make a template with either cardboard or plywood. If you want to add a microbevel a thin secondary edge right at the tip that makes touch up honing easier then go with 300 for o1 and 350 for a2. A much steeper angle 450 500 on a bevel up plane works very well. This is how i keep my edges constantly sharp accurate and repeatable with minimal effort.

Sharpening a dull chisel ask matt. It comes with a quick change handle as well as coarse and fine cone shaped diamond hones capable of sharpening up to 1 2 chisels. Sharpen bench chisels with a 250 bevel angle for best results. Heres a picture of the sharpened chisel along with the chips it made.

In this short video connecticut valley school of woodworking director bob van dyke walks you through his step by step process for sharpening the chisel as well as the inner bit.